Today’s interview is with someone whose book, undoubtedly, we have all been waiting impatiently for (and the release of which, fingers crossed, is nearly, finally, upon us!). You know the drill by now: we spoke with Victor Manibo about any number of things, that you can find below!
And don’t forget that you can follow Victor on twitter too!
Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?
I started writing stories at an early age, around nine or ten. My first one (that I remember at least) was an epic fantasy story inspired by the characters and creatures of Magic: The Gathering. The story had wizards and angels and drakes and ancient artifacts, and the magic system was based on the five colors and the types of land. Unfortunately I didn’t get to finish it, mostly because I spent too much time playing the card game and engaging in other teenagerly pursuits. But I’d always been a wide reader and I knew that at some point I wanted to get back into writing.
I returned to writing in undergrad, joining my university’s literary magazine. Life got in the way once again, as it does in early adulthood, so again I stopped writing. After that, the next time I put words on paper was five years ago when I drafted The Sleepless. So I suppose I’ve always been a writer, and I’ve always wanted to write, even though there were long stretches where I did no writing at all.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
My reading list is mostly science fiction/fantasy/horror, mystery and thriller, and literary fiction, and so the stories I like to write always contain elements from these genres (and yes, I think lit fic is a genre).
I wouldn’t say that there are tropes or genres I wouldn’t write; in the same way that I read everything, I also want to be able to tell all sorts of stories. I’m constantly pushing past my comfort zone and trying new things, but I do have the most fun when I’m writing in a genre that I’m well-read in.
When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?
Depending on what I read, I might be actively visualizing what’s going on in the page. Some stories lend themselves to that, and it enhances my reading experience. If I’m reading a Snow White retelling, I’m probably imagining a sketch of an apple; if I’m reading a contemporary domestic saga, that’s less likely. But it’s also about what the writer manages to achieve, right? Do their words impel me to visualize an apple, and to do so in a certain way?
To some extent the same goes for my writing process. In drafting, I’d more concretely imagine a thing if I need to evoke a specific image of that thing in the reader’s mind. It’s not necessary, but visualizing does help me find the right words and elicit the right reactions.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
David Mitchell; Ted Chiang; Agatha Christie.
When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?
The visual aesthetic matters, and usually comes to me first, but when I craft my science fictional worlds, I like to dig deep into the implications and unforeseen consequences of technology and tech-related policies. How does a certain piece of tech change a person’s life? How does its use, spread, and regulation affect the world at large? I find that raising those kinds of questions, and coming up with answers for them, provides for a more immersive writing experience for me, one that I hope translates to the reader’s experience as well. There’s a well-worn quote from sci-fi writer Frederik Pohl— “A good science fiction story should be able to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam.” I don’t think I’m particularly adept at predicting technology, but I really enjoy writing about the traffic jam.
What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?
I’m revising my next standalone book, which is also a near-future SF thriller tentatively titled Upward. It features a very queer cast of characters attending their high school reunion on a luxury orbital station. Think Knives Out, but in space. Shenanigans (and murders!) ensue. As with The Sleepless, it also critiques a particular aspect of capitalism. If all goes according to plan, it’ll be out in the middle of next year.
Three songs you would put in your book’s soundtrack?
When I worked on The Sleepless, I listened to a lot of Philip Glass for the more meditative parts, particularly his score for The Hours. For the more exciting bits, I listened to TRON: Legacy. No matter how you feel about the movie, that Daft Punk soundtrack undeniably slaps.
What would be your dream project?
I have many, but there’s one that I’m really invested in right now: I would like to one day write an X-Men comic. I’ve been a huge fan since childhood and the current era of X-Men comics is the best it’s been in ages—among others, Victor Lavalle is doing something brilliant in his run on Sabretooth, and Kieron Gillen’s Immortal X-Men is the political thriller of my wildest dreams. It would be great to be a part of that line of comics in any way.
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
This one’s tough. Veronica has the tenacity, Kingsley has the brawn, Jamie’s got the cunning…I might need the whole gang!
You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?
Less by Andrew Sean Greer; Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin; This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?
The Wachowskis. Their entire body of work has been influential to me: The Matrix, Sense8, Jupiter Ascending, even Bound. Manifesting it now: The Sleepless, a film by The Wachowskis.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victor Manibo is a speculative fiction writer living in New York. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, he moved to his new home city to pursue a life of adventure. As a queer immigrant and a person of color, he writes about the experiences of people who live these identities and how they navigate imaginary worlds.
Though he has always written stories from a young age, he first started drafting novels in the fall of 2017 for National Novel Writing Month. Thence came his debut science fiction noir novel, THE SLEEPLESS, coming out August 2022 from Erewhon Books. He polished this manuscript as part of the 2019 PitchWars mentee class.
He has been selected as a 2022 Fellow of Lambda Literary’s Emerging Voices Retreat, the nation’s premier LGBTQ writing residency.
He graduated from Cardozo School of Law with a concentration in Constitutional and Civil Rights, and he is currently in private practice as an immigration lawyer. His workday mostly consists of defending immigrants from being removed from the country.
He lives in Queens, New York with his husband, their dog, and their two cats. In his seemingly infinite reserve of free time, he also rock climbs and plays too many tabletop games. Find him online at victormanibo.com or on Twitter @victormanibo.
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